Thursday, 23 July 2015

Bolivia Miners Clash With Police Dozens Arrested

Hundreds of miners from a strike-paralyzed city in Bolivia’s
highlands have battled police in the capital La Paz, with authorities reporting
44 people arrested and one officer injured. Protesting miners from the city of
Potosi threw rocks through the windows of the Ministry of Government and then
tossed small dynamite charges at police after officers used tear gas.

The government ministers were safely evacuated from the building, but two of their cars were vandalised by
dynamite. A fire that broke out in pine trees at the adjacent German Embassy
was quickly extinguished.The melee lasted about an hour and there were unconfirmed reports of injuries, though it was not clear how
many people were hurt. The government said a police officer was
taken to a hospital after being hit in the head. Hundreds of other protesters
from Potosi also marched, showing support for a civic committee that is seeking
to negotiate an end to a 16-day-old general strike in the city, which is a
provincial capital. Potosi depends heavily on mining and its residents have
been hit hard by a slump in mineral prices. The demonstrators are demanding the
central government put more money into public works projects, calling for the
construction of hospitals, roads and an international airport to be built in
their region as part of a 26-point plan for the government The miners said they plan to continue to pressure.